Most people would not dispute dentists deserve good money for the amount of years they have trained and the qualification they have gained.But the majority of people on the average wage,which for a woman is aprox $55.037 a year if working fulltime, I actually think the dental fees are outrageous. I have just been quoted $2,834.00 for a root canal treatment and the crown. I work part-time as a nurse and wonder wether I can justify in spending this money on dental treatment the alternative is extraction at $480 dollars my part-time weeks wage? Look I know dentists have their outlays to pay and my father was a dental technician all his life but I stilll find this charge hard to swallow .They are like vets and charge like wounded bulls. It would be better for the health of everyone if they reduced there prices as dental caries can lead to serious medical problems. Plus more people would be inclined to visit the dentist and they would still make good money just have to work harder. It's a sad world when sheer greed has taken over and doing your job out of dedication has gone out of the window .
Dentist and other medical personnel are paid based on their knowledge. A person without their education can not do their job. They spend many years learning to do the job they do (a large $ investment, as well as their time). After that, there is a large dollar investment in equipment to be able to do their job. Then they generally have office personnel that they must pay and rent to pay to have a place to practice their knowledge. Add to that the cost of the insurance they must pay in order to have some assurance that if some jerk does sue them for some crazy reason they will not loose everything they have worked for years to accumulate. I am sure I have left something out but you get the idea....they deserve what they are paid. Of course, if you do not wish to pay them, there is always the old pliers and hammer method of denistry.
Because they want to work only four days a week but still make a lot of money. That is why I will devote every penny I make for the next two weeks for a new crown that will take my dentist about an hour all told. Ask the dental lab what they charge to make the crown (you didn't think the dentist made it himself/herself, did you?) and you'll cry at the huge markup.
They get together and price fix. That is why if you call around and ask for prices, you won't get any good numbers, just vague ranges. They feel entitled to be wealthy because of the M.D. After their names.
You generally find a lot of people complaining dentists earn too much money and dental work is too expensive. Most have no idea how much it takes to become a health professional.
When school gets cheaper and easier to get into, people stop sueing for no good reason, malpractice insurance, license fees and the cost of dental equipment and supplies come down... Maybe then dentists will charge less.
As far as the markup on dental work goes... The actual crown is not what you are paying for, its all the steps of shaping, removing decay and expertise of the dentist to fix your busted tooth.
The simple solution is to floss and brush your teeth. Then you wont need to visit the dentist and complain it costs too much.
